Deck 2: Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory

Question 1

The west coast of South America is

A)a convergent plate boundary.
B)a transform fault boundary.
C)a divergent plate boundary.
D)not a plate boundary.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The east coast of North America is

A)a convergent plate boundary.
B)a transform plate boundary.
C)a divergent plate boundary.
D)not a plate boundary.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

When was the theory of plate tectonics developed?

A)1860s
B)1920s
C)1940s
D)1960s

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following mountain ranges formed as a result of ocean-continent convergence?

A)the Andes
B)the Appalachians
C)the Himalayas
D)the Urals

Question 5

When a deep-sea trench is located next to a continent,where would you expect to find active volcanoes?

A)on the ocean side of the trench
B)in the deep-sea trench
C)on the continent side of the trench
D)on both the ocean side and continent side of the trench

Question 6

Which of the following is a type of convergent plate boundary?

A)continental rift
B)spreading center
C)mid-ocean ridge
D)subduction zone

Question 7

Which of the following mountain ranges is the product of continent-continent convergence?

A)the Andes
B)the Cascade Range
C)the Himalayas
D)the Japanese islands

Question 8

How old are the fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus found in Africa and South America that suggest the two continents were once together?

A)approximately 100 million years
B)approximately 1.0 billion years
C)approximately 300 million years
D)approximately 3.0 billion years

Question 9

Which of the following is not associated with convergent plate boundaries?

A)earthquakes
B)deep-sea trenches
C)spreading centers
D)volcanoes

Question 10

Which of the following is associated with a divergent plate boundary?

A)earthquakes
B)volcanism
C)rifting
D)all of the above

Question 11

New lithosphere is created

A)in deep sea trenches.
B)in subduction zones.
C)at mid-ocean ridges.
D)along transform faults.

Question 12

Which of the following is a divergent plate boundary?

A)the Andes Mountains
B)the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
C)the Himalayan Mountains
D)the San Andreas fault

Question 13

Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

A)Charles Darwin
B)Harry Hess
C)Alfred Wegener
D)J.Tuzo Wilson

Question 14

What type of plate boundary is parallel to the direction of plate movement?

A)convergent plate boundary
B)transform plate boundary
C)divergent plate boundary
D)all of the above

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a transform plate boundary?

A)the East African Rift
B)the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
C)the Marianas Trench
D)the San Andreas Fault

Question 16

In which ocean are most of the world's convergent plate margins located?

A)Arctic Ocean
B)Atlantic Ocean
C)Indian Ocean
D)Pacific Ocean

Question 17

Approximately how deep (below sea level)are the deepest deep-sea trenches?

A)3 km
B)10 km
C)30 km
D)100 km

Question 18

Which of the following concepts was developed earliest?

A)continental drift
B)plate tectonics
C)seafloor spreading
D)All three concepts were developed at approximately the same time.

Question 19

What plate is subducting beneath southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States?

A)the Cocos Plate
B)the Nazca Plate
C)the Juan de Fuca Plate
D)the Pacific Plate

Question 20

At what type of plate boundary do the deepest earthquakes occur?

A)convergent
B)divergent
C)transform
D)All of these plate boundaries have deep earthquakes.

Question 21

How old are the oldest rocks on the ocean floor?

A)approximately 20 million years old
B)approximately 600 million years old
C)approximately 200 million years old
D)approximately 4.0 billion years old

Question 22

Which of the following plates is moving the fastest?

A)the African Plate
B)the North American Plate
C)the Eurasian Plate
D)the Pacific Plate

Question 23

Which of the following is commonly used to determine the age of seafloor samples recovered by the deep-sea drilling project?

A)carbon-14 dating
B)foraminifera fossils
C)chemical composition
D)gravity measurements

Question 24

Modern seafloor spreading rates range from

A)0.2 to 1.5 millimeters per year.
B)2 to 15 meters per year.
C)2 to 15 centimeters per year.
D)2 to 15 kilometers per year.

Question 25

When did the supercontinent Pangaea begin to break apart?

A)approximately 65 million years ago
B)approximately 570 million years ago
C)approximately 200 million years ago
D)approximately 1.5 billion years ago

Question 26

Which of the following forces is important in driving plate tectonics?

A)the pulling force of a sinking lithospheric slab
B)the pushing force of a plate sliding off a mid-ocean ridge
C)the suction force of a retreating subduction zone
D)all of the above

Question 27

Pangaea split into two continents: Laurasia,made up of the northern continents,and ______,made up of the southern continents.

A)Tethys
B)Panthalassa
C)Gondwana
D)Cascadia

Question 28

Why are isochrons on the Pacific seafloor more widely spaced than isochrons on the Atlantic seafloor?

A)The Pacific seafloor formed at a faster spreading rate than the Atlantic seafloor.
B)The Pacific seafloor formed at a slower spreading rate than the Atlantic seafloor.
C)The Pacific seafloor is older than the Atlantic seafloor.
D)The Pacific seafloor is younger than the Atlantic seafloor.

Question 29

When did India begin to collide with Asia to form the Himalayas?

A)approximately 50 million years ago
B)approximately 500 million years ago
C)approximately 200 million years ago
D)approximately 2.0 billion years ago

Question 30

The oldest continental rocks are __________ than the oldest oceanic rocks.

A)much older
B)slightly older
C)slightly younger
D)much younger

Question 31

Compared with slower moving plates,faster moving plates are bounded by a greater proportion of

A)continent collision zones.
B)subduction zones.
C)mid-ocean ridges.
D)transform faults.

Question 32

What drives plate tectonics?

A)magnetic reversals
B)mantle convection
C)solar energy
D)volcanism

Question 33

Which of the following is commonly used to determine the age of seafloor samples recovered by the deep-sea drilling project?

A)sediment thickness (was carbon-14 dating)
B)foraminifera fossils
C)chemical composition
D)gravity measurements

Question 34

On a map of the seafloor,the boundaries between normally magnetized oceanic crust and reversely magnetized oceanic crust are called

A)dipoles.
B)isochrons.
C)isograds.
D)sutures.

Question 35

Isochrons on the seafloor are roughly __________ the ridge axis along which they were created.

A)parallel to and symmetric about
B)perpendicular to and symmetric about
C)parallel to,but not symmetric about
D)perpendicular to,but not symmetric about

Question 36

What ocean used to lie between Africa and Eurasia and was the ancestor to today's Mediterranean Sea?

A)Gondwana
B)Panthalassa
C)Rodinia
D)Tethys

Question 37

When was the supercontinent of Pangaea assembled?

A)approximately 100 million years ago
B)approximately 1.0 billion years ago
C)approximately 250 million years ago
D)approximately 2.5 billion years ago

Question 38

The North American Plate is bounded by ______ plate boundaries.

A)convergent
B)transform
C)divergent
D)convergent,divergent,and transform

Question 39

Which of the following can be used to determine the rates of plate motion?

A)astronomical positioning
B)seafloor magnetic anomalies
C)global positioning system
D)all of the above

Question 40

What two scientists related the positive and negative magnetic bands on the seafloor to seafloor spreading?

A)Charles Darwin and James Hutton
B)F)J.Vine and D.H.Mathews
C)Harry Hess and Robert Dietz
D)Alfred Wegener and Arthur Holmes

Question 41

The Appalachian Mountains formed from an ancient ____________ plate boundary.

A)convergent
B)transform
C)divergent
D)converform

Question 42

The convergence of the North American Plate with the Juan de Fuca Plate forms the ______ subduction zone.

A)Marianas
B)Andean
C)Aleutian
D)Cascadia

Question 43

Rhodinia is a supercontinent that formed

A)after Pangea.
B)at the same time as Pangea.
C)before Pangea.
D)Geoscientists have no idea when Rhodinia was formed.

Question 44

The main type of plate boundaries are (proper names only):

A)transform,sliding-past,sizzor.
B)convergent,colliding,crumbling.
C)divergent,pull-apart,spreading.
D)convergent,transform,divergent.

Question 45

Oceanic crust that records negative magnetic anomalies formed when the Earth's magnetic field was

A)the same as it is today.
B)the same as today,except weaker.
C)reversed from what it is today.
D)the same as today,except stronger.

Question 46

New oceanic crust is created at

A)subduction zones.
B)deep-sea trenches.
C)mid-ocean ridges.
D)transform boundaries.

Question 47

An island arc forms when there is __________ convergence.

A)ocean-continent
B)ocean-ocean
C)continent-continent
D)island-continent

Question 48

The Hawaiian volcanoes are

A)located at a convergent plate boundary.
B)located at a divergent plate boundary.
C)located at a transform plate boundary.
D)not located at a plate boundary.

Question 49

Shallow focus earthquakes are associated with which type of plate boundary?

A)divergent
B)convergent
C)transform
D)all of the above

Question 50

Regions of intense localized volcanism,such as Hawaii,form above plumes of fast-rising material that originate in the

A)crust.
B)deep mantle.
C)lithosphere.
D)outer core.

Question 51

Geoscientists predict the east coast of North America will be _____________ 50 million years in the future.

A)a divergent plate boundary
B)a transform plate boundary
C)a convergent plate boundary
D)the same as it is today

Question 52

The Great Rift Valley of East Africa is an early-stage

A)convergent boundary.
B)divergent boundary.
C)transform boundary.
D)deep-sea trench.

Question 53

What kind of plate boundary defines the eastern edge of the plate we live on in the United States?

A)deep sea trench
B)mid-ocean rift
C)continental spreading center
D)transform fault

Question 54

How deep are plates subducted?

A)100 km
B)700 km
C)2900 km
D)6400 km

Question 55

If the position between antennas on two plates moving away from each other changes by 5 mm/yr,then each plate is moving at approximately

A)5 mm/yr.
B)2.5 mm/yr.
C)10 mm/yr.
D)1 mm/yr.

Question 56

Mount St.Helens is part of the

A)Andes Mountains.
B)Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
C)Himalayan Mountains.
D)Cascade Range.

Question 57

Astronomical positioning measures points on the Earth's surface relative to

A)the position of Mars.
B)the position of known comets.
C)the position of the Moon.
D)the position of fixed stars.

Question 58

Mid-ocean ridges are also referred to as

A)spreading centers.
B)hot spots.
C)island arcs.
D)trench zones.

Question 59

The Earth's lithosphere is broken up into approximately _____ large plates.

A)5
B)10
C)12
D)20

Question 60

How do we determine absolute direction of plate movement over millions of years?

A)with astronomical positioning
B)with global position systems (GPS)
C)with seafloor isochrons
D)by looking at the alignment of mountain ranges on the continents

Question 61

__________ are the most extensive mountain ranges on Earth today.

A)the Alps
B)the Himalayas
C)the Rockies
D)mid-oceanic ridges

Question 62

Who first proposed the three different kinds of plate boundaries widely accepted today?

A)Tuzo Wilson
B)Alfred Wegener
C)Robert Dietz
D)Harry Hess

Question 63

Where is the best place to explore the mid-ocean ridge as it comes on land?

A)Ireland
B)Iceland
C)Norway
D)Africa

Question 64

Which scientist was the first to suggest the existence of so-called "supercontinents"?

A)German Alfred Wegner
B)Austrian Eduard Suess
C)Canadian Tuzo Wilson
D)Britain Arthur Holmes

Question 65

Compared with oceanic rifts the continental rifts generally lack

A)rift valleys.
B)earthquakes.
C)volcanic activity.
D)transform faults.

Question 66

Which of the following locations is least likely to have active volcanoes?

A)mid-oceanic ridge
B)continental rift valley
C)transform fault
D)island arc

Question 67

Roughly when did most earth scientists accept plate tectonics as a theory?

A)1960
B)1970
C)1980
D)1990

Question 68

Deep focus earthquakes are typically associated with which type of plate boundary?

A)divergent
B)convergent
C)transform
D)all of the boundaries

Question 69

Which of the following plates contains only oceanic crust?

A)North Atlantic Plate
B)Australian Plate
C)Nazca Plate
D)African Plate

Question 70

Who first suggested that the Earth's surface might be a fragile shell resting on fluid?

A)Alfred Wegener
B)Harry Hess
C)Benjamin Franklin
D)Arthur Holmes

Question 71

Which type of measurements are currently used determine the rate of plate movement with a high degree of accuracy?

A)geodesy
B)astronomical positioning
C)radio telescopes
D)GPS

Question 72

Where is one of the best places to study seafloor spreading on dry land?

A)Ireland
B)Iceland
C)Norway
D)Africa

Question 73

Which type of measurements initially led to determining the rate of plate movement with a high degree of accuracy?

A)geodesy
B)astronomical positioning
C)radio telescopes
D)GPS

Question 74

Which of the following plates is the largest?

A)Cocos Plate
B)Indian Plate
C)North American Plate
D)Pacific Plate

Question 75

The North American Plate is bounded on the west with _____ boundaries and the east with ___ boundaries.

A)convergent and transform; divergent
B)divergent; convergent and transform
C)transform; convergent
D)divergent; transform

Question 76

Compared with oceanic crust the continental crust is generally lighter,____ and _____.

A)weaker; thicker
B)stronger; thinner
C)stronger; thicker
D) stronger; thicker.

Question 77

Who first described world tectonics in terms of rigid plates?

A)Alfred Wegener
B)Harry Hess
C)Tuzo Wilson
D)Robert Dietz

Question 78

How many major plates cover Earth's surface?

A)2
B)5
C)13
D)30

Question 79

__________ was the first earth scientist to propose a rudimentary form of seafloor spreading.

A)Arthur Holmes
B)Harry Hess
C)Alfred Wegener
D)Tuzo Wilson

Question 80

Most transform-fault boundaries are typically associated with

A)subduction zones.
B)continental rifts.
C)oceanic rifts.
D)mountain ranges.